MMA Preview – Rafa Garcia vs Natan Levy at UFC Fight Night 198
RAFA GARCIA VS NATAN LEVY FACTS
When is UFC Fight Night 198? Saturday 20th November, 2021 - 21:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Fight Night 198? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 198? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Fight Night 198 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 198? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
RAFA GARCIA VS NATAN LEVY LOWDOWN
Rafa Garcia (11-2) desperately needs to get his UFC career up and running. He lit up the Combate Americas scene storming to 11-0 with seven submissions, one knockout and three decisions. Two of those decisions led to his chance in the big time - firstly against current UFC fighter Erick Gonzalez (2019) and former UFC fighter Humberto Bandenay (2020). He then stepped up on short notice for a tough debut in the form of Nasrat Haqparast to suffer his first loss which was via unanimous decision, and he returned four months later in July and hit a huge setback losing another unanimous decision to Chris Gruetzemacher.
Natan Levy (6-0) makes his UFC debut after five successful showings for the Legacy Fighting Alliance and an audition on the Contender Series last year. He kicked off his pro career by submitting Marcus Sims ((2018) and Cameron Underhill (2018). He then earnt decisions over Henry Barahona (2019), Nicholas Badis (2019) and Ben Lugo (2020). He then took on Shaheen Santana at the APEX and cinched a slick arm-triangle to get his chance on the big stage.
RAFA GARCIA VS NATAN LEVY PREDICTION
Both fighters are decent everywhere, but this is likely to come down to who can employ their strengths better. Levy is a grappler by trade and is also dangerous on the feet. He will throw bombs from his southpaw stance but he can be rather wild whereas Garcia is technically better and should be able to counter when they begin to trade.
Garcia is also clearly no slouch on the ground with seven submissions in the bank, but Levy’s wrestling and athleticism should allow him to subdue Garcia. He also the bigger man and will be very confident in the grappling exchanges.
Overall, we expect this to be very competitive and we should see a mixture of striking and grappling. It is hard to call, but as we feel this will go to a decision, Garcia’s suspect gas tank swings this slightly in Levy’s favour.
Prediction: Levy via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
